The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-11-24
AUNT HANNAH


hncd position, aud sometimes fabeY
mine mus, be the good creature" Of The
family.
Iihais large aud scattered ismily ans
gives ample scope Tor every kind ct use
ILLNESS Time was when vas the spoil'
child Of il; bat years have hurried on,and
the brigb, promise was only nipped IN the
bad by the death OF my dear parenis, priv
ileged to pass away within "a hours o'
each other
As left the churchyard where the sun
shone softly down upon their undivided
grave. and s,rove 10 realize tha. heneefor-
ward those true aud tender hearts were
sharers 10 the glorious sunshine OF eternal
day, looked inio the cold hard face OF
my eldest brother aud knew that the DAYS
Of sympathetic love 10 my old home we're
over and done for me. Robert was not
unkind or unjust, but sympathy was a
quality utterly wanting in bis compost
iion, and il he were Just and fair toward
others. what on earth could Others want
more, Ia heavens name, he would ask
, impaiisntly.
/ Ah, we'll, justice is much, but love and
sympathy. Whist are they not seitb IN all
our lives, from the highest lady ~ the land,
whose sympathy never fails in time OF
need, down 10 the little school child, who
will spare lev precious crumbs OF cake
for the hungry robin 10 its path ?
Nv other brothers aud sisters were all
married and scattered over the world, and
Roberto eldest children we're but a few
years younger than myself, the youngest
OF their fathers generation.
For some years lived on in the dear
old home aud strove to be OF what use !
could. No one scrupled to make use OF
me, sm bound to say, and by degrees the
family motto seemed TO be. Aunt Han
nab will do it, She won't mind. ="
Did she mind ? Sometimes tbiok she
did.
The young ones we're growing up, aud
to tbem my few additional years consti
tuted, il not old age, at least advanced
middle age. Little did they think, while
their pimble feet whirled to Aunt Han
nah's playing Il could play, aud for many
reasons threw my heart into doing my
best for their dance music little did
they think, say, how my shoes were
| twitching under the piano with longing
to be given chance OF turn myself.
One night / overheard slim young
guardsboy murmur to my niece;
But say, won't your auot be tired,
playing 80 long ?"
Tired Oh, no, she won't mind, re
spopded Edith ''She likes it. !"
bent my head over the piano and gulp-
ell down sob that almost overpowered
me as steadily marked time in that vslse
tune OF many memories. Up before the
eyes OF my memory rose that evening sew.
en- years before, upon which my future
life had seemed to hinge. l was 20 then,
and had been for two years an inmate OF
my brothers home ] was 27 now and
was still considered too young to have a
home OF my own by my elder relations,
too old for young lady amusements by the
younger generation.
So steadily played on, and my thoughts
floated away backward to that evening !
have limited at. saw once more small,
dark haired girl with hazel eyes and far
way look IN them, and over her bent
broad shouldered, curly headed young
giant whose voice tiembled as he said.
"God bless you, darling little Hannah;
will come tomorrow and see Robert end
you"
But Oh. Mike, Mike, why did you nev
er coma never, never, and the next thing
that heard was that he had gone to India
us following week, aud the year after be
.asrried And oh, what had done,
vas II done, to deserve such blow
What hs.
Is this $4,000 h;r, . Good b.av
hau misunu' sst thought he loved
no "au : s"o"u :. 'otbing and taken
ue' Auu NC nau meant : uerciiul thing
right and done the most a.. ), ur
e could by vanishing from
lie
Night and day / wearied myself
blink out this agonizing puzzle. Spea.
} Robert dared not. What could he
link Of q girl who had admitted that she
wed some one, when the some one had
20 clearly not wished for her love. pt
Roberts wife was wrapped mp in her %
abies, and on the only occasion on which y,
bad braced my heart to ask her advice,
I'd answered me through the reignipg ",
fsnt: "rell her see mutton be topped
I'd glum. my Tootsewootsee, see mutt vi
in and play wiz 90, my precious, nut pc
Mt see so
Henceforward i fought my battle alone,
ID subsidized into3the long suffering. pla. ",
d Aunt Hannah, who was supposed not NJ
mind the dreary bits OF employ menl ha
hich the others shirked. M
just when had struck 27 my iich old an
dmother died and, to my surprise, lef, no
. generous slice Of her fortune coup. eli
g with 1t the command that should an
30 her name instead OF my own. From ric
,nnsh Gray became. therefore, Han. a
b Sinclair With my new name fur wa
armore asserted my independence, and un
up for myself little house In London. mi
7 dear old nurse took the lead In mr. ga
nsehold. aud the irst night that estab ed
he'd myself by my own ireside and th'
r,ed ss free lone woman. laid my lie
ad on her knees and cried ~ il my ~
art would break. Ailsie asked no ques. ste